Machine for depositing viscous or plastic materials



Nov. 26, 1957 w. D. MEAGHER ETAL 2,314,261

MACHINE FQR DEPOSITING VISCOUS 0R PLASTIC MATERIALS Filed April 7, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 JPIVEHTORSL. HALTER Dams MEAGH'R Arm G O/ es Maw/ER Nov. 26, 1957 w. p MEAGHER EfAL 2,814,261

FOR DEPOSITING VISCOUS 0R PLASTIC MATERIALS Filed April 7, 1 954 2 Sh eet s-Sh'eet 2 "WE Il TOR I WALTER Dams meAeHER Arlp 656355 PYEAGHER MACHINE FOR DEPOSITIN G VISCOUS OR PLASTIC MATERIALS Walter Denis Meagher and George Meagher, St. Annes-on-Sea, England Application April 7, 1954, Serial No. 421,498

Claims priority, application Great Britain April 8, 1953 3 Claims. (Cl. 107-28) This invention relates to machines for the pressure deposition of marshmallow, jam, fondant and other viscous or plastic materials on to articles such as biscuits or cakes.

Hitherto it has been customary in such machines to force the material through an ejection orifice by means of a piston or plunger 'working in a cylinder, and the'present invention has for its object to provide an improved ejection mechanism whereby thedelivery of material may be more accurate-1y controlled.

According'to this invention, in a machine for the deposition of viscous -or plastic materials under pressure, the ejection means comprises a rotor mounted in -a hopper or feed chamber coaxially with a part-cylindrical wall of the latter, one or more longitudinal vanes on said rotor being adapted tosweep said part-cylindrical 'wall and thereby impel the contents of said hopper or feed chamber towards a delivery orifice, in combination with a valve member biased to a position in which it cooperates with the peripheryof said rotor to direct the impelled material into the open orifice, and means whereby, each time the (or-any) rotor vane approaches said valve member the latter is automatically moved 'to a position in which it lies clear of the vanes orbit and closes said orifice.

The valve member aforesaid may be arranged to rock or slide relatively to aseating at'the mouth of the deliveryorifice, and its movement may be'eifected through the medium of a follower engaging a cam secured coaxially to the rotor.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is adiagrammatic side elevation of a depositing machine embodying the present invention, thevalve being shown fully open during delivery of material by'one vane of the rotor.

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the valve member moved to the closed position to clear the-said'vane, and

Fig. 3 is yet another similar view, showing the 'valve memberrestored to its open position ready for delivery of material by a second rotor vane.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged side elevation of thevalve-actuating means, and

Figs. 5 and 6 are fragmentary views generally corresponding to Fig. 1, but showing modified for-ms of valve member.

'In the example illustrated inFigs. 1m 3, the'hopper 10, is of the usualdownwardlywonvergent formation and opens at its lower end into a feed chamber 11 which is part-cylindrical shape at one side 12, the other side 13 of such chamber preferably being smoothly curved to form a continuation ofthe adjacent wall of thehopper 10.

Mounted coaxially with the partecylindrical wall 12 of the feed'chamber 11 is a horizontal rotor 14 which takes the-form ofa roller with two diametricallyaopposed longitudinal vanes 15 thereon, the radial length of these vanes being such that they successively sweep the partcylindrical wall 12 as the rotor turns.

States atent Directly beneath the rotor axis the feed vchamber 11 has a longitudinal row of vertical delivery orifices 16 formed in an externally-mounted metal block 17, the lower end of each such orifice being fitted with a convergentnoz zle 18 which terminates at a convenient height above a travelling conveyor 19, whereby biscuits, cakes, or other articles 20 to be coated are carried beneath the depositing machine.

Following normal practice, such articles may be drawn from a suitable magazine, one at a time, by means of a sliding member which ensures their being fed to the conveyor 19 in appropriate relation to the nozzles 18.

The part-cylindrical chamber wall 12 extends upwardly from one side of the row of delivery orifices 16 to a position directly above the rotor axis, and at the same level a ledge or shelf 21 projects inwardly from the opposite side 13 of the hopper 10 so as to co-operate with the upper edge of the part-cylindrical wall .12 in defining a throat 22 through which the viscous or plastic material placed in the hopper 10 is forced downwardly into the feed chamber 11 by means of oppositely-rotating rollers 23.

It will be appreciated that, on reaching the .periphery of the rotor 14, such material is carried around by the vanes 15 on the latter, and that successive quantities of such material become trapped in the space bounded 'by the two vanes, the periphery of the rotor, and the partcylindrical chamberwall 12.

The upper part of the block 17 having the delivery orifices 18 therein is formed with a longitudinal, but laterally offset, part-cylindrical recess 24 in which is rotatably mounted a valve member 25 of complementary halfround section. This valve member 25 is provided with aligned trunnions 26 coaxial with the part-cylindrical seating 24 and journalled in the ends of the feed chamber 11, one of such trunnions projecting externally of the chamber and having fixed thereto, as shown in ,Fig. 4, an arm 27 with a roller 28 at or near its free end.

This arm 27 (or similar externally-arranged arm on the other trunnon 26) is acted upon by atension spring 7 29or other means whose eifect is continuously to urge the half-round valve member 25 towards a position in which it lies wholly within its seating 24, clear of the orbit of the rotor vanes 15 and covering the delivery orifices 16.

The rotor 14 is fixed to, or integral with, a powerdriven shaft 30 journalled in the feed chamber ends, and this shaft has fixed thereon a cam 31 which co-operates with the roller 28 on the valve arm 27.

'In the convenient arrangement shown, the cam 31 I comprises a disc with a peripheral flange 32which has gaps 33 at two diametrically-opposed positions, the interior surface 34 of such flange forming a track for the roller 28.

So long as suchroller is bearing uponthe circumferential portion of the cam track 34, the half-round valve member 25 is held with its flat face vertical and at one side of the row of delivery orifices (see Fig. 1), the upper edge of the valve then making light rubbing contact with the periphery of the rotor 14.

When one of the flange gaps 3:3 is presented to the roller 28, however, the spring 29 is able to move the valvernem'ber 25 to the closed position previously mentioned (see Fig. 2), the resultant movement of the arm 27 being positively assisted by a suitably shaped guide block 35 in the gap 33.

In practice, the valve 25 is timed to close in this manner-whenever one of the rotor vanes 15 approaches the lower edge of the part-cylindrical feed chamber wall 12, the second vane being then on the point of sealingofi the space between such wall and the rotor 14.

The first-mentioned vane 15, can thus pass freely across the flat top of the valve 25, and as soon as the vane is clear of it, such valve is moved by the cam 31 to an open position (Fig. 3) in which it directs, through the delivery orifices 16 and nozzles 18, the material previously trapped in the space aforesaid and urged onwards by the second vane.

The motion of the conveyor 19 is automatically halted during each delivery period, the magazine feedaforesaid being so arranged that at each such pause of the conveyor a row of articles thereon is directly beneath the nozzles 18 ready for coating and cam-operated means (not shown) being employed to effect an automatic raising of the conveyor towards such nozzles during each coating operation.

In the modified construction illustrated in Fig. 5, the half-round valve 25 is replaced by a triangular-section member 25' moving into or out of engagement with a complementary seating 24', with a similar action, except that in this case the valve is wholly clear of its seating when open. The valve 25' isoperated by suitable operating means.

In a further modification, shown in Fig. 6, the valve member 36 is arranged to slide up and down in a rectangular-section recess 37 in the block 17, an upstanding lip 38 on such valve member periodically engaging the periphery of the rotor 14 and the valve member 36 having at one side of such lip a row of through-holes 39 which are at all times offset from the delivery orifices 16 so that the latter are closed when the valve member is at the bottom of the recess 37. The valve member 36 is operated by suitable operating means.

It will be understood that, by varying the angular relationship of the rotor 14 and cam 31, the moment of closing of the valve can be advanced or retarded in accordance with the amount of material which it is desired to eject through the nozzles 18 at each revolution of the rotor. Furthermore, the nozzles 18 may be replaced by others of a different size and/ or shape, and obviously a plurality of depositing heads similar to any of those described may be mounted side-by-side across the width of the conveyor 19.

What we claim is:

1. Apparatus for ejecting at timed intervals equal quantities of a substance and comprising, in combination, an open supply container; a chamber means in continuous uninterrupted communication with said supply container, said chamber means having a part-cylindrical wall having an opening; an outlet member closing said opening and being formed with a part-cylindrical valve seat lo cated in said opening, and with an outlet passage having a port opening on said valve seat spaced from said Wall so that cylindrical portions of said valve seat are located between said port and the inner surface of said wall; an ejector rotor in said chamber means including a cylindrical body and vane means projecting from said body and having free ends slidingly engaging the inner surface of said part-cylindrical wall during rotation of said rotor so as to convey a substance introduced into said chamber means from said supply chamber along the inner surface of said part-cylindrical wall toward said valve seat and said outlet passage; a control valve member having substantially semi-circular cross section, said control valve member having a part-cylindrical surface portion of the same configuration as said part-cylindrical valve seat and another surface portion, said control valve member being turnable between a first position located outside of said chamber means in which said part-cylindrical surface portion fully covers said part-cylindrical valve seat and tightly closes said outlet passage and in which the other surface portion of said control valve member is flush with vthe inner surface of said wall'and forms a'continuation of the same, and a second angularly displaced position slidingly engaging said rotor body in which said other surface of said control valve member extends between.

said rotor body and said valve seat so as to form with said vane means, said rotor body, the inner surface of said wall and with part of said valve seat a pressure chamber opening into said outlet passage; and cam means connected to said rotor for simultaneous rotation and turning said control valve member in timed sequence with the movement of said rotor and said vane means so that said control valve member is in said first position when said vane means pass over said outlet member and is in said second position when said vane means moves along said part-cylindrical wall portion.

2. Apparatus for ejecting at timed intervals equal quantities of a viscous substance and comprising, in combination, a hopper defining a supply chamber; a chamber means in continuous uninterrupted communication with said supply chamber, said chamber means having a partcylindrical wall having an opening; means in said supply chamber for forcing the viscous substance from said supply chamber into said chamber means; an outlet member closing said opening and being formed with a partcylindrical valve seat located in said opening, and with an outlet passage having a port opening on said valve seat spaced from said wall so that cylindrical portions of said valve seat are located between said port and the inner surface of said wall; an ejector rotor in said chamber means including a cylindrical body and vane means projecting from said body and having free ends slidingly engaging the inner surface of said part-cylindrical wall during rotation of said rotor so as to convey a substance introduced into said chamber means from said supply chamber along the inner surface of said part-cylindrical wall toward said valve seat and said outlet passage; a control valve member having substantially semicircular cross section, said control valve member having a partcylindrical surface portion of the same configuration as said part-cylindrical valve seat and another surface portion, said control valve member being turnable between a first position located outside of said chamber means in which said part-cylindrical surface portion fully covers said part-cylindrical valve seat and tightly closes said outlet passage and in which the other surface portion of said control valve member is flush with the inner surface of said wall and forms a continuation of the same, and a second angularly displaced position slidingly engaging said rotor body in which said other surface of said control valve member extends between said rotor body and said valve seat so as to form with said vane means, said rotor body, the inner surface of'said wall and with part of said valve seat'a pressure chamber opening into said outlet passage; and cam means connected to said rotor for simultaneous rotation and turning said control valve member in timed sequence with the movement of said rotor and said vane means so'that said control valve member is in said first position when said vane means pass over said outlet member and is in said second position when said vane means moves along said part-cylindrical wall portion. 1

3. Apparatus for ejecting at timed intervals equal quantities of a viscous substance and comprising, in combination, a hopper defining a supply chamber; a chamber means in continuous uninterrupted communication with said supply chamber, said chamber means having a partcylindrical wall having an opening; a pair of cooperating rollers in said supply chamber for forcing the viscous substance from said supply chamber into said chamber means; an outlet member closing said opening and being formed with a part-cylindrical valve seat located in said opening, and with an outlet passage having a port opening on said valve seat spaced from said Wall so that cylindrical portions of said valve seat are located between said port and the inner surface of said wall; an ejector "rotor in said chamber means including a cylindrical body and vane means projecting from saidbody and having free ends slidingly engaging the inner surfaceof said part-cylindrical wall during rotation of said rotor so as' to convey a substance introduced into said chamber means from said supply chamber along the inner surface of said part-cylindrical wall toward said valve seat and said outlet passage; a control valve member having substantially tion fully covers said part-cylindrical valve seat and tightly closes said outlet passage and in which the other surface portion of said control valve member is flush with the inner surface of said wall and forms a continuation of the same, and a second angularly displaced position slidingly engaging said rotor body in which said other surface of said control valve member extends between said rotor body and said valve seat so as to form with said vane means, said rotor body, the inner surface of said wall and with part of said valve seat a pressure chamber opening into said outlet passage; and cam means connected to said rotor for simultaneous rotation and turning said control valve member in timed sequence with the movement of said rotor and said vane means so that said control valve member is in said first position when said vane means pass over said outlet member and is in said second position when said vane means moves along said part-cylindrical wall portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 119,482 Ward Oct. 3, 1871 297,478 Warth Apr. 22, 1884 452,726 Nilson May 19, 1891 504,449 Grebenstein Sept. 5, 1893 577,936 Verrue Mar. 2, 1897 820,386 Bryce May 15, 1906 1,785,444 Groesbeck Dec. 16, 1930 2,363,961 Hart Nov. 28, 1944 2,533,252 Hinckley Dec. 12, 1950 

